Boy can I sympathize here!!!!!!!!! I never but never ever had to deal with 'hives' until about 3 months ago. I was going through a horrific anxiety time with depression, etc. Then I got 'the' hives! My Internist is saying it is pure anxiety/stress related. Their horrible. I can take an Atarax and they'll go away for 2-3-4 days and then wham-o. They pop out even when I don't think I'm stressed and the possibility of anaphalatic shock scares me too but it hasn't come down to that. Once in a while my lip will get swollen but haven't had trouble breathing at all. I wish we could get to the bottom of these miserable things! I'm so tired looking like I have 'the creeping crud' or something like that.